


All Along

by midnightcas



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angry Keith (Voltron), Cuddling, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fights, Fluff and Angst, Hurt Lance (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, Insecure Lance (Voltron), Kissing, Lance (Voltron) Speaks Spanish, Lance is bilingual AND bisexual, Leader Shiro, Making Up, Mistakes, Multi, My First Work in This Fandom, Polyamory, Protective Keith (Voltron), Self-Indulgent, Shiro is Space Daddy, Um Sorry..., Welcome to Midnight, Worried Keith (Voltron), worried shiro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-28
Updated: 2017-10-28
Packaged: 2019-01-25 10:45:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12529560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnightcas/pseuds/midnightcas
Summary: Zarkon claims to have information about Shiro's past. In a blind attempt to retrieve it, Shiro makes a rash decision during a battle that nearly costs Lance his life.Cue angry boyfriend number 1...





	All Along

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> So this is my first work in the fandom, so I'm a little nervous about it. I only just started Season 2 so most of this is kind of made up and has like zero canon compliance (except for Klance Chemisty, of course). I've also never written a polyamorous relationship nor ever even kind of shipped one, but I sort of fell into that cesspool and here we are.
> 
> I tried to keep them as in character as I could, but like I said I only just started Season 2 and these characters are still brand new to me, so that may need some work. I do plan on writing A LOT more Voltron Fics so your feedback and constructive criticism about any and all things would be very helpful.
> 
> Um...yeah. So this is unbeta'd as all my works are and I wrote this in literally 30 minutes so if there are any huge mistakes, please let me know! Awesome. 
> 
> I hope you like it!

The ship was huge. But that wasn’t really the problem here. It was the smaller, much more agile fighter pods that were delivering most of the damage. Keith and Pidge were easily maneuvering between them while Hunk took a majority of the hits head on and Lance hung as far back as possible, taking out what he could at a distance. They seemed to be making their way through steadily and things were relatively calm...well as calm as one could get under enemy fire in the vastness of space.

“Pidge do you think you could make your way towards the ship and take out the landing deck. It looks likes more keep coming from there.”

“Got it, Shiro,” she barked as the Green Lion pulled up and floated towards the right.

“Lance, cover her.”

“Yup.”  
  
“Uh, I don’t know how much my Lion can take,” Hunk grunted, “It’s running pretty low.”

“You’re gonna have to hold on a second longer. If I can get to the deck then we can focus on fighting what’s in front of us.”

“I’ll try.”

There was a sharp cry from Pidge that caught everyone’s attention immediately,

“Pidge?”  
  
“I’m okay. I hit some kind of electricity field. It short circuited all of Green’s controls. I had to land her on the surface.”

“Lance?”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“What’s your status?”

“I can see the deck. Another fleet is loading in.”

“I’ll be there in second, can you cover the door?” Keith’s voice came over the line.

But before Lance could confirm, Shiro was giving him the order to attack himself.

“No.”

“Keith, we have to end this now. Pidge is down and Hunk’s next.”  
  
“I can do it, it’s fine.”  
  
“Lance...”

“What, you can’t stand the idea of you being the backup?”

“I’ll have to go in and do it myself anyway, since you can hardly fly in a straight line.”  
  
“Hey! Can, too. Regardless, that line is straighter than you.”

“You’re one to talk.”  
  
“What's that supposed to mean?"   
  
“Guys,” Shiro interrupted, “Lance can you do it? You just have to shoot it out.”

“Puedo manejarlo, si, si.”

“Good."

The coms were quiet for a while after that, the sound of breathing or quiet grunts and gasps of their own was the only thing filling their silences.

“Lance? What’s your 10-20.”

“Aw, did you miss me?”  
  
“Where are you,” Keith growled.

“Under the dock. I’m waiting for them to get closer. Shiro, can you like...drop a bomb?”  
  
“A _what_?”

“Ya know...Boom. Explosion. Bomb. There are too many to shoot without falling under fire. And...well Hunks already doing that somewhere else."

An unfond grumbled came over the line, making Lance laugh at his friend's displeasure.

“I think we need to pull back,” Keith urged.

“No way."  
  
“Shiro--”  
  
“If we can stop the fighters we can board the ship. We’re so close.”

“Pidge is still down. Hunk has...moments. Our best shooter just asked for a bomb!”

“Aw, thanks babe.”

“We can do this. We’re so close! I might finally be able to find out...everything, Keith. Okay? We’re so close.”

“Shiro, if we’re in this bomb business you gotta drop it like now.”

“I’m out,” Hunk’s voice cackled over, “I have to land her.”  
  
“We need to pull back! Allura can you get the castle up?"

"Starting engine," her confirmation came confident and clear.

“No. Allura not yet! We have to hold.”

“Shiro!”

“Guys,” Lance’s voice wavered in warning.

“I’m dropping it now Lance, hold on. Can you keep them in there a tick longer?”

“Yeah.”

Keith growled but pull back into formation. They were hovering several feet above the planet Gaxon. From where he was, he could spot both Pidge and Hunk against the dry pale sand of the desert. _They_ looked fine...their lions looked a bit worse for wear, but once they got them back on the castle and started tinkering with them, they’d be good as new. He was lost in thought as he watched Shiro shoot out several more fighters, the brightness of the explosion was stark against the dark sky of space. It was a small strangled sound that was hardly there at all that pulled him from his trance.

“What’s going on, Lance?”

Keith’s voice was low and steady, but there was an all too familiar rough warning to it.

“Too close.”  
  
“Too close? What do you mean?”

Before there was an answer, the Black Lion flew overhead of the landing deck of the Galra ship and dropped a succession of bombs. The sky lit up in all kinds of colored gases, yellow and orange and reds and purples. He had forgotten Lance’s comment for all off three seconds before there was another metallic thump on the planet’s surface and static in the coms.

 

 

Keith landed Red, hopping out of her before all four paws were even on the sandy ground. She seemed to sense his urgency and automatically finished locking down herself. He followed the clouds of dark smoke and skidded to a stop in front of the mass of blue. The rest of the Paladins, bar from Shiro, were standing a bit of a ways a way. He ran over, all but shoving Coran to the side so he could see Lance and assess the damages himself. He dropped to his knees, cradling the unconscious boy in his arms as he had done countless times before. His face was sooty with ash and he had a few scrapes and bruises, including a deep gash above his brow and a cracked lip.

“He has a sprained wrist and a few cracked ribs, I think. I’m not sure about a concussion, but he’ll be out of commission for a couple of days. Especially with the healing pods down,” Coran informed him, “But he will be okay.”

By the time Keith looked up at them Shiro had joined the rest of them, face pale and eyes wide. Keith gritted his teeth and set his jaw, ignoring the burning anger in his chest in favor of focusing his attention on the injured boy in his arms.

 

Lance laid still on the table as Coran and Allura finished patching him up. Keith sat on top of another table nearby, watching their every move like a hawk. He had refused to leave Lance's side, surprising absolutely no one. But even still, his anger and worry were palpable.

Once they were done and had gone to sterilizing everything, the doors swooshed open to reveal Shiro, still in his armor. He stopped by Lance’s side and brushed a stray piece of hair out of his face.

“He’s pretty like this, isn’t he?” Shiro tried to joke, a small smile tugging at his lips, “Still...and quiet.”

When Keith didn't answer he made his way over to stand in front of the Red Paladin.

He rested a heavy hand on his thigh and met his eyes, “Hey, everything alright? You didn’t get hurt too, did you?”  
  
“Like you’d care.”   


Shiro pulled back taking notice of his venomous tone. He was well used to Keith’s moody attitude and harsh ways. And with Lance in this condition he had _expected_ everything negative about Keith to surface, tenfold. It was his words that had caught him by surprise, though.

“What do you mean?"

“You were ready to sacrifice us just to get personal information. You nearly got Lance _killed_ because you wouldn’t listen to me...to any of us. I couldn’t imagine...without Lance...I..." he hastily wiped his face, trying to hide the tears that had formed and threatened to fall, "Anyone like that,” he steeled himself, “is unfit to be a leader.”

Shiro averted his gaze, torn between wanting to comfort his younger lover who was clearly in pain, spewing insults back and being embarrassed about his failure. 

However, Keith decided for him when he hopped from the table, his shoulder checking Shiro’s as he stalked away.

 

It was later the next day that Lance woke. He laid warm and content, stretched across Keith's bed, his head in said Paladin's lap and Shiro’s large clothing haphazardly hanging off of him. The boy’s gentle fingers combed through his hair absently, as he quietly looked off into the darkened distance.

“Keith?”

A fond smile graces the Red Paladin’s lips at the sound, “Hey. How are you feeling?”

“Sore," Lance grunted.

“Yeah,” he huffed, “I bet. I'll see if Coran has any painkillers he can give you. What do you remember?”  
  
“Everything. God," he shifted a bit, kicking off the blanket unhappily, "Where’s Shiro?”

Immediately Keith stiffened and gave a sharp shrug, “Dunno.”  
  
Lance narrowed his eyes. He had been with Keith long enough to know when he was trying to avoid a subject. Even though his fogged head he could tell, " What happened?”

“Nothing.”  
  
“Keith,” Lance urged.

Maybe it was the fact that Lance’s voice was still weak from pain and lack of use, or the fact that not only a day ago he had almost lost this beautiful person in his arms forever, maybe it was the quiet pleading his tone carried or the fact that Lance just had this way about him that always was able to get Keith talking...either way, it all came pouring out.

“This...this is _his_ fault. He should have never given the order or let you even get that close. He’s too stuck on trying to get the information about what they did to him before that he keeps losing sight of what’s important. Shiro’s too caught up in his own goddamn head that he put you and everyone else in danger. It's part of his job is to keep you safe. To keep all of us safe.”

“Relax...”  
  
“Relax? You almost got _killed_ Lance. Because _he_ was being selfish.”

“That...that’s not true. It’s not his fault. I got too close. You said it yourself, I can barely fly in a straight line,” Lance grasped for Keith’s hand and pressed a gentle kiss to his palm, “Relájate, mi cielito. We’re all okay."

“You’re not.”

“Keith, he has to give orders. He knows what we’re all capable of and it was just a stupid mistake on my part and a tough break. You can’t be mad at him. I mean I know you’re upset and like I don't know what I would do if it was the other way around but...I mean...you can be mad at whoever you want, but...you guys are all I have. I mean...you know what I mean. And I just can’t stand the idea...if it was my fault that we stopped...I...um...”

Keith swept down and took Lance into a gentle kiss from where he still laid on his back, his head resting on the pillow next to Keith who was sitting up against the wall. He had sensed the worry as soon as Lance started rambling, “No. Nothing like that,” he kissed him again, willing the anxiety that he had unintentionally caused, away, “It’s not...I’m just upset. Okay? Nothing like that, okay?”

He nodded after a few seconds, “Okay. I'm sorry. I’m just...exhausted.”  
  
“Don’t apologize,” Keith whispered back, pressing his lips to his forehead before pushing some of Lance’s unruly hair back from his face, “You should rest.”  
  
“You’re gonna...you’re gonna stay, right?” He asked, his eyes already slipping closed.

“Of course.”

 

 

It was a little while later that Shiro hesitantly entered the room. The two eyed each other wearily for a while before the older man broke the silence.

“How is he?”

“Sore. Tired. Seemed fine, otherwise.”

He nodded, “Good. You should take a shower. Maybe catch a few hours of sleep. I know you haven’t been.”

The ‘because I haven’t either’ went unsaid.

Keith only grunted in reply, reluctant to leave the Cuban, especially since he had promised he would stay. When he didn’t answer right away Shiro sighed and sat himself at the edge of the bed, his gaze flickering between the two boys that he loved so much. 

They were...so different but complemented each other so beautifully that Shiro often found himself in awe of it. He always thought himself lucky to be a part of it. Both of them were young, and while at certain times it was advantageous, times like this when they had yet to mellow out in any sense of the word, proved to be...more challenging. But to be fair, Shiro doubted very much that Keith would ever grow out of his harsh moods or Lance would calm from his contagious eccentricity.

“Talk to me.”

Keith’s eyes flashed as they met the Black Paladin’s. The older man stayed steady, however, and waited for the younger’s next move.

“You almost got Lance killed today.”

“I know.”

Keith’s jaw jumped, “You _know_?”

“I...of course I know. The way you’re feeling? You can’t really think you’re the only one feeling it. Hunk and Pidge are his best friends. And...I love Lance as much as you do. I know...I know I made a mistake--”

“It’s not the first time.”  
  
“What do you mean...?”

“I mean you’re so one track minded with this stupid information about who you are and who you were that you’re unable to lead us, Shiro. We've been chasing it for months. You used to be the first one to remind us that Voltron is a team and that we're the Universe’s only hope and that it needs all of us to work. But as soon as Zarkon dangles the fact that he has...whatever it is, you fall apart. And I feel like I’m the one who needs to remind you who we are and what our mission is. But you never want to hear it. You pull the Leader Card and then we keep end up in situations like this one, like Allura getting taken last month or Hunks Lion nearly being wrecked beyond repair a few weeks ago. Because you’re so focused on getting that information that you’d rather put your team at risk than not get it.”

“It’s," he started harshly but caught himself. Keith's element was literally fire. And there was no use adding gasoline to a flame that was already rearing to go when the initial intention was to put it out. He sighed, trying to explain himself in his usual placid tone, "It’s all I have. Who I am is there, Keith. It’s...everything.”

“It’s not...it’s...not all you have!” he snapped, “Who cares who you were before all this? You’re the Black Paladin, now. You’re part of Voltron. You...you have me and Lane and the rest of the team, Shiro. It doesn’t matter who you were.”

At that...it finally seemed to sink in. Shiro sighed again and looked down. There were several ticks of silence before he reached for Keith’s hand.

“I’m...I’m sorry. You’re right. I just...I never knew who I was. All those memories for all that time are just...gone. And I've always wondered. Now though...I...it’s all right there. Everything. Everything I’ve ever wondered about. All the answers," he looked away, "I  _ am _ sorry, Keith. You’re right. I got too focused."

Keith shook his head and squeezed Shiro’s hand back in answer. It was as much as a forgiveness that he was going to get. And he was fine with it.

“I’m sorry, too. I...I said..."

Shiro leaned in and wrapped his arms around Keith’s shoulders, “I know. You’re scared,” he whispered into the boy’s temple, “I am, too. You are the most important people in my life. I love you guys, so much. And me either. Without you or Lance...I...I don't know what I'd do.”

Keith hugged him back, then wrapping his arms around Shiro’s neck tightly and allowing himself to relax in his boyfriend’s arms, even if it was just for a short while. It was Lance’s stirring that caused them to pull away. He was looking up at them, a weak smile revealing his straight white teeth pulled at his face and his tired eyes shown with warmth and love.

“Mi cariños,” he smirked reaching for each of their hands.

After a few moments Shiro climbed in behind the two, deciding that two days of constant worry and exhaustion was enough. Keith took the hint and slid down so that Lance could tuck his face into the crook of his neck while still remaining on his back, being careful of the injuries. Keith placed his hand onto Lance’s far hip, his thumb peaking under Shiro’s old Academy shirt that Lance still wore, to rub light circles into the bruised skin. Shiro threw his heavy arm over Lance stomach, curling it around what he could of Keith as well. 

“There. I knew something was missing," Lance grumbled, gripping at Shiro's arm.

The two exchanged a look over his head and smiled before snuggling in closer to each other. 

A few quiet moments passed before Lance let out a light chuckled, breaking the comfortable silence, "Well," he mused, "Shiro  _was_ right about one thing."  
  
"Oh yeah," the man smiled, pressing a kiss to the Cuban's temple, "and what would that be?"

"Keith definitely needs a shower."

None of them could hide their laughs and none of them tried.

As Shiro calmed himself into soft amusement,  he couldn’t help but think that Keith was maybe right. 

Maybe who he had been didn’t matter. 

Maybe it never would. Never did.

Maybe...maybe he really was who he was then, in that exact moment. 

Maybe this was who he was supposed to be...all along.

**Author's Note:**

> What'd you guys think? Like I said I really love this show so far and these characters are amazing so I do want to write more Voltron Fics in the future. Any feedback or suggestions, no matter how small you think they are, will be appreciated. So I hope to see you in the comments.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and giving this fic a chance. I hope you guys enjoyed it.
> 
> Lots of Love xoxo


End file.
